Battle of Kars (1745)

Ottoman-Persian War of 1743–1746
Part of the Ottoman-Persian War (1743-1746) within the Nader's Campaigns
A diagram of the battle of Kars, illustrating the devastating flanking manoeuvre by Nader's cavalry reserve
Date 9–19 August 1745 Location Kars, Eastern Anatolia Result Decisive Persian victory
Belligerents
Persian Empire	Ottoman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Nader Shah	Mehmet Yegen Pasha † Abdollah Pasha Jebhechi
Strength
80,000 40,000 Savaran-e Sepah-e Khorasan	140,000 100,000 Sipahi Cavalry 40,000 Janissary Infantry
Casualties and losses
~8,000	35,000 12,000 killed 18,000 wounded 5,000 captured

80,000

140,000

35,000

The Battle of Kars (August 19, 1745) was the last major engagement of the Ottoman-Persian War. The battle resulted in the complete and utter destruction of the Ottoman army. It was also the last of the great military triumphs of Nader Shah. The battle was in fact fought over a period of ten days in which the first day saw the Ottomans routed from the field, followed by a series of subsequent blockades and pursuits until the final destruction of the Ottoman army. The severity of the defeat, in conjunction with the debacle at Mosul, ended any hopes Istanbul had entertained for a military victory in the war and forced them to enter negotiations with a significantly weaker position than they would otherwise have occupied.

During Nader's last punitive expedition in Dagestan, the Persian army moved south after devastating the region with many settlements razed to the ground and their inhabitants put to the sword. On June 14, 1745 Nader returned to Derbent remaining there for months before setting out south. He became extremely ill and had to be carried in a litter before the army halted at Yerevan.

The court physicians nursed the Shah back to health. Nader Shah was informed that two large Ottoman armies were headed eastward to his borders. One headed to Kars and the other to Mosul. Nader Shah immediately went on to the offensive and split his forces into two. Nassrollah Mirza, Nader Shah's son, was given a large component of the Persian army with the objective of defeating the Ottomans headed for Mosul and Nader himself set out for Kars.

Nader's army marched west past Yerevan when news was brought of the Ottoman army's departure from Kars under the command of Yegen Mohammad Pasha. Nader continued west and camped upon a hill near Yeghevārd. This was the same hill Nader had made camp on approximately 10 years previously when he had crushed an Ottoman army at the Battle of Yeghevārd. Yegen Pasha advanced until 10-12 kilometres from the Persian army and ordered his men to build extensive fortifications around their camp.

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